"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot
be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but
on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way,
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven"
(Matthew
5:14-16, NRSV).

A disciple is a learner/follower
of Jesus Christ who constantly seeks to become like the Master. Just as Jesus
trained and sent out His disciples, every local church must inaugurate an
effective program for the facilitating, encouraging, and developing of disciples.
After all, what good does it do us if the folks we baptize soon leave? We
are not being faithful to our Divine commission, because Jesus said, "Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
(Matt.
28:19); yet, the word translated "teach" comes from the Greek word
that also means "to make a disciple." (Indeed, numerous versions translate
it in that manner.)

This week we will look at preparation for discipleship.

This Week at a
Glance:

How did Jesus prepare His disciples? What principles can we learn
for ourselves regarding discipleship from what He said to them before sending
them out? What can we learn from the Sermon on the Mount that is crucial
for discipleship? What kind of opposition should disciples of Christ expect?

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 16.

SUNDAY

February 10

The Appointing of the Apostles

Mark
3 begins with Jesus entering a synagogue and healing a man with a withered
hand on the Sabbath, one of His famous Sabbath healings. A great irony is
found in these texts
(Mark
3:1-12): the rulers sought how they might kill Him, while great
multitudes of people flocked after Him. One group feared His power; another
coveted to be blessed and benefited by it.

From both accounts, it seems that at some point Jesus got away from the great
multitude that followed Him, taking with Him a select group of disciples.
From among this group of disciples, He then picked out twelve to do the work
of apostles.

For this task, Jesus chose the ones He wanted. This implies, as we have seen,
that the initiative resides with Him. He extends the call; we respond. This
means that we must be available for service, in whatever capacity we are
called to serve in.

How do disciples and apostles differ? Disciples were learners. They followed
a master to study with that master. The term apostle comes from two Greek
words apo and stello, implying "to send from." An apostle was
an ambassador or emissary sent to represent a master or a kingdom. While
both a disciple and an apostle are students, an apostle received additional
training to be sent forth as a representative of the master or organization.

Jesus appointed the twelve so that they might be with Him and that He might
send them out to preach. Matthew says that, He "gave them authority to drive
out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness"
(Matt.
10:1, NIV). It appears He chose them to provide trained workers to
assist in caring for the large throngs that flocked wherever He went (adapted
from The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 322).

How content are you with the work that you are doing for the Lord?
Should you be doing more? Could you be doing more? What is holding you back?
In most cases, is it not your own pride and selfishness?

MONDAY

February 11

The Sermon on the Mount

Many see the Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew
5-7) as Jesus' inaugural address, in which He outlined the ethics
of His kingdom. It is also, in many ways, a manifesto of discipleship, for
it holds the keys to being a faithful disciple of Christ.

Read
Matthew
5:1. What was the background of the sermon? To whom did He immediately
give it?

Who knows how many books have been written expounding upon this sermon? For
our purposes, we want to look at what things in it are especially pertinent
to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Read
Matthew
5:13-16. What is the message there for us, as disciples of Christ? Why
are these words particularly important to us as Adventists, given our
understanding of the three angels' messages of
Revelation
14:6-12?

Read
Matthew
6:5-13. What important lesson is Jesus giving us here for discipleship?

Read
Matthew
6:19-21. Why are these words, in many ways, the essence of what true
discipleship is about? Ask yourself, "Where is my treasure [That is, Where
is my heart], in heaven or on earth?" If you do not like the answer, what
can you do to change?

TUESDAY

February 12

The Sermon on the Mount,
Continued

As said in a previous lesson, one of the greatest struggles we face as a
church is retaining new members, keeping them in the flock after we baptize
them. All this is linked with the theme of discipleship, the theme of teaching
people what it means to be a follower of Christ, a citizen in His new kingdom.
The Sermon on the Mount is filled with illustrations and teachings that all
disciples of Christ must learn to follow. As we continue studying the sermon,
ask yourself, "How can I apply these teaching in my own life? Also, how can
our church better teach these things to new members, to make them better
disciples of Christ?"

Read
Matthew
7:1-5. What important lesson, and warning, is given there that is crucial
for all disciples of Christ to learn? What does it mean not to
judge?

Read
Matthew
7:15-20. What message is Jesus giving to His disciples here? As you read
these texts, ask yourself, What kind of fruit am I, myself, bearing?

It is one thing to profess being a follower, a student, or a disciple of
Christ; it is another to be one. As we seek to make disciples, or to be good
disciples ourselves, we must not forget the clear words of Jesus in the following
texts.

Read
Matthew
7:24-27. Why is it important to understand what Jesus is saying there?
What issues are, literally, at stake here? How do we understand these words
with the other Bible promises of salvation being by faith and not by works?

WEDNESDAY

February 13

Instructions for a Missionary
Tour

Jesus' promise that His disciples would be fishers of men
(Matt.
4:19) was not immediately fulfilled. At first they observed His
activities. While ministering in Galilee "preaching the good news of the
kingdom and healing every disease and sickness," He saw the crowds and had
compassion on them, "because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd"
(Matt.
9:35, 36, NIV). He commented to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful
but the workers are few," and invited them to pray to the Lord of the harvest
to send out workers
(vs.
37, NIV).

ReadJesus' words to the twelve
(Matt.
10:1,
Matt
10:5-11:1). What principles are found in these words that would
apply to us today in our work of seeking to make disciples?

There is a lot that Christ's modern-day disciples could learn from these
texts. One thing, however, that should come through clearly is that witnessing
for Christ is not going to be easy. There is going to be opposition, turmoil,
and even, in some cases, persecution. Thus, we should not be surprised when
these things come. What should concern us is when they do not.

Readagain the texts for today. What
kind of opposition, turmoil, and suffering should we expect? In what ways
have you experienced in your own life some of what Jesus said here almost
two thousand years ago?

Jesus did not promise His disciples an easy time of it. The history
of the church proves just how accurate His words were. Yet at the same time,
even amid these warnings, the Lord gives these men wonderful words of
encouragement and hope. Read those words, those promises, and claim them
for yourself. What can you take from them that you need in particular for
yourself right now?

THURSDAY

February 14

Mission of the Seventy

Luke alone mentions that Jesus appointed seventy disciples, whom He sent
on a missionary tour
(Luke
10:1-23; see also
Exod.
24:1, 9). In many ways, His instructions were similar to what He
gave to the twelve. After instructing them, Jesus sent them two by two to
the towns and places He was about to go. It appears that their mission was
preparatory to Jesus' own. In a sense, they were to prepare the way for people
to accept Jesus when He came. How does that fit in with what we are to do
today in helping prepare people to meet Jesus?

What
was the advantage of sending them two by two? What can
we take from that for ourselves today?

Luke
10:17 says the seventy returned from their mission with joy because "the
devils are subject unto us through thy name." No doubt, they must have been
thrilled at the power given them through Jesus, and they acknowledge that
it is His power. Jesus, though, while acknowledging the power given them,
tells them to rejoice about the thing that really matters.

Read
Luke
10:20. Why did Jesus say this? What message is there for us in these
words, as well?

Doing great deeds in the name of Jesus is no guarantee of salvation
(Matt.
7:22, 23), as some will one day find out. Spiritual position, church
authority, even great success at winning souls, are not the things that really
matter. What really matters is having our names written in heaven, names
that are not blotted out
(Rev.
3:5), because a name written in heaven means eternal life through
Jesus.

We can be so busy working for others that we neglect our own spiritual
life and health. How can you avoid falling into that subtle trap? At the
same time, how does working for the salvation of others strengthen your own
walk with Jesus?

"In that brief verse
[Matthew
5:1] there are three clues to the real significance of the Sermon on
the Mount. (i) Jesus began to teach when he had sat down. When a Jewish Rabbi
was teaching officially he sat to teach. . . . So, then, the very intimation
that Jesus sat down to teach his disciples is the indication that this teaching
is central and official. (ii) Matthew goes on to say that when he had opened
His mouth, he taught them. . . . In Greek the phrase has a double significance.
(a) In Greek it is used of a solemn, grave and dignified utterance. . . .
(b) It is used of a person's utterance when he is really opening his heart
and fully pouring out his mind. It is used of intimate teaching with no barriers
between. . . . (iii) ... Now the point is that in the Greek of this sentence,
which we are studying, the verb taught is not an aorist [tense], but
an imperfect and therefore it describes repeated and habitual action, and
the translation should be: 'This is what he used to teach them.' Matthew
has said as plainly as Greek will say it that the Sermon on the Mount is
not one sermon of Jesus, given at one particular time and on one particular
occasion; it is the essence of all that Jesus continuously and habitually
taught his disciples."—William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew
(Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), vol. 1, pp. 86, 87.

Discussion
Questions:

What kind of discipleship program does your own local church
have? What are its strong points? Its weak points? What practical steps can
yourchurch make to be stronger in the area of discipleship?

When a person joins your local church, what can you do, personally, to
help disciple that person along? What specific gifts might you have that
can be of help? Also, what about your Sabbath School class itself? What role
can and should it have in the discipling process?

Discipling takes disciples, those who know what it means to follow
Jesus, to learn from Jesus, to be an imitator of Jesus. What did you learn
this week from the texts we looked at that, if applied in your life, could
make you better prepared to disciple new members?

I
N S I D E
Story

Hope Meets Hopeless: Part 1

by CHARLOTTE ISHKANIAN

S. S. and Geetha Karikalan lived a comfortable life. They bought rice from
fanners and sold it to retailers. Then the government cut out the middlemen
in order to regulate the rice industry, and suddenly the Karikalans were
out of work.

The family was desperate and talked about committing suicide. One day two
Adventist women noticed the sad-looking couple getting off the city bus and
asked if something was wrong. One of the women, Sahira, offered to pray for
the couple there beside the road. Although S. S. and Geetha were of another
religion, they accepted the prayers of these devout women. Sahira prayed
that God would help them find work and that they would also find peace and
hope in their lives.

After Sahira prayed, the couple admitted that they had thought about suicide,
but because of her prayer, they felt peace. Sahira had to hurry to an
appointment, but she asked permission to visit S. S. and Geetha. The couple
gave her the address of Geetha's parents, where they were staying. Sahira
invited the couple to visit their church that Sabbath and promised that they
would find that Jesus could meet their needs. She gave them the address.

The couple attended the church that week. Sahira welcomed them warmly and
gave them a Bible. The next day she visited them. The couple agreed to Bible
studies, and Sahira and the pastor studied with them for several weeks. The
couple's 13-year-old son, Santosh, joined them for the studies.

One day the pastor needed medicine for his asthma from Santosh's grandfather.
Santosh and his grandfather walked to the pastor's apartment to deliver the
medicine. While Grandfather talked with the pastor, Santosh went to the roof
on the third floor of the apartment building to play cricket with the pastor's
children.

During the game Santosh
stepped back and stretched to catch the ball. Suddenly he lost his balance
and fell backward off the roof. "Lord, save me!" he cried as he tumbled toward
some high voltage wires.

Continued next week

The Karikalan family (left). Charlotte Ishkanian is editor of Mission
and "Inside Stories."